Spiked Roses: The Complete Top Shelf Series

by Alta Hensley

  “Seeing you crying like this breaks my heart to know I caused it. I never meant for anything like this to happen. It was the last thing I wanted. I left you all unprotected, and I am sorry for that.”

  “I don’t blame you.” I sniffled, trying my best to not appear so broken and weak.

  “No, it is not all right. It’s not, and I’m going to make damn sure the people who are responsible pay for this. You’re mine, and no one fucking touches what is mine.”

  I looked up at him, my face streaked with tears, my eyes still holding back the tears I no longer wanted to shed. “I’m yours?”

  Victor nodded. “As long as you’re one of my dolls, yes.” He reached down and rubbed his thumb over my cheeks, wiping away the stray tears that threatened to fall from them.

  I sighed gently when he touched my face, looking at him with desire for so much more, taking his hand in mine and lacing our fingers. I bit my lower lip, my eyes drifting to the floor. “Those men violated me. Humiliated me and then did so much worse to the others. But I just want to forget. I want to act like nothing happened so I can move on. I know that is awful, but I just want to close my eyes, go to sleep, and then wake up and pretend that this was all just a really bad dream.”

  My gaze met his just moments before I found my lips captured in a passionate kiss. I had never been kissed like this man was able to do before. Not this intense and powerful, at least. His mouth pressed firmly, dominating mine as only Victor could do, but his tongue pushed past my lips with the gentlest insistence, softly dancing against mine. I returned the kiss with the same level of passion. Not because I was a Drayton Doll and felt as if I were supposed to be submissive and do as he asked. Not because I was a doll trained to simply act and not think, but because I had never wanted something like this before. Something so simple and yet so powerful at the same time.

  He pulled away slowly, leaving me panting for more. I closed my eyes again and leaned forward, expecting him to kiss me again. When he didn’t, I opened my eyes, confused. Victor had worry washed over his face.

  “I need to know if you’re all right. That those men didn’t cause actual bodily harm when that man used the knife handle on you.”

  I nodded. “I’m fine. My body is fine.” My face grew hot and perspiration beaded on the top of my lip. “I just want to feel normal again. Not a victim. I want you to look at me with desire rather than pity.”

  Victor grabbed my shoulders gently. “Don’t misread my concern as pity. And trust me… there is definitely desire when I look at you. But… Will you allow me to look for myself? I know you said earlier that you didn’t want a doctor, and I understand that. But will you at least let me see that you really don’t require medical attention?”

  I almost choked on the air I had rapidly inhaled. “What?” Even though I’d offered him the opportunity earlier, that had been meant to keep him from taking me to a hospital. I hadn’t been serious, and yet it appeared he’d was quite serious indeed. My face grew even hotter as I cleared my throat. “You want to examine me? My anus?”

  Victor nodded as he said, “To make sure there isn’t any tearing.”

  If there had been a deep and dank hole to climb into, I would have happily gone, but I still silently agreed with a slight nod of my head.

  “Go and lie on your stomach on the bed. You should be more comfortable there.”

  I did as he asked, just wanting to get this over with. I knew arguing would get me nowhere, and the only thing it would do was prolong this embarrassment. I quickly walked to the end of the bed. I wondered whether I should remove my torn dress or not. No doubt he would have to move the ruffles out of the way anyway, so I decided to disrobe completely and crawl up onto the bed. It felt good to be rid of any lasting signs of the awful experience anyway. When I heard his footsteps, I spread my legs a little wider, trying my best to be a good, submissive girl. Though the night had been a horrendous experience, I still craved that side of me to not be lost. I wanted to still submit no matter what, and I wanted Victor to know this fact. I also wanted to feel the feelings I once did for this man without allowing those attackers to get into my head. I wouldn’t allow them to steal my sexual need and passion.

  He moved to the edge of the bed and reached for a pillow. “Lift up, and allow me to place this under your hips. It will make you more comfortable and assist me in seeing more clearly.”

  I did as he asked, as a throng of butterflies fluttered their wings against my insides. Even though I wanted to bury my face into the mattress until this ordeal was over, my curiosity kept my eyes on Victor as he went to the bedside table and dug around, eventually pulling out a bottle of lubrication with a wicked smile on his face as he looked at me.

  “Lucky us,” he said. “We’ll just borrow a little of this.”

  He positioned his body behind my upturned bottom, opening my legs even further apart. Without pause, he spread my cheeks and began the examination.

  “If at any time this hurts, please let me know,” he said, barely above a whisper.

  I just nodded as I felt his finger circle my anus.

  “Does that hurt at all?”

  “No.” In truth, it actually felt good. My pussy throbbed with every gentle caress of his fingertip. Maybe that was awful considering everything that was going on. Maybe I should be sad and in mourning, so, therefore, shouldn’t allow any pleasure to come. But I didn’t care. I wanted to feel good. I wanted to allow the sensations of pleasure to come.

  “That’s good. I don’t see any tearing on the outside. I’m going to press my finger in now. If it hurts, please tell me.” I heard him open the lube, and moments later, I felt the moist coolness of his slick finger touch my anus once again. “Ready?”

  I nodded. With my silent permission, Victor pressed just barely past the opening. Only the tip of his finger breached my tender hole. He didn’t move, allowing me to both physically and mentally adjust to the invasion.

  “Do you feel any discomfort?”

  I wondered if the juices leaking from my pussy would give away that his finger in my ass was giving me erotic pleasure rather than pain. “No, sir,” I squeaked, as submission flooded over me.

  The feeling was so welcomed.

  So needed.

  Victor began to circle his finger in my inner channel in a spiraling motion, slowly easing deeper as he moved his finger. “Do you feel any stinging as I do this?” He rubbed his finger along the ridged walls inside me, shooting jolts of electricity through every sense in my body.

  I shook my head, breathless.

  “I’m going to go even deeper. I’m going to press past the ring. If it hurts, please let me know.” Without waiting for an answer, he pressed deeper, going beyond the second barrier.

  Signs of arousal trickled over my clit and mound. I couldn’t help but spread my legs even wider and press my butt up against his hand. The action drove his finger in deeper, causing me to moan loudly against the most delicious invasion.

  “Pleasure or pain?” he asked, as he thrust his finger all the way in.

  I moaned louder and grabbed the sheets of the bed into my fists. “Pleasure. Complete pleasure.”

  Victor removed his finger and quickly got off the bed. When I turned to see why he had stopped, I found him undressing. Once naked, Victor resumed his position, but this time he flipped me onto my back, thrusting a finger into my pussy.

  “How does this feel?” he asked huskily.

  A moan was my only answer.

  He added a second finger and pressed even deeper into my hungry cunt. “And how does this feel?”

  I arched my back and moaned even louder.

  Keeping his fingers planted in my pussy, Victor leaned forward and took my breast into his mouth. He sucked and nibbled as my pleasure grew. He pulled away from my pebbled nipple just enough to ask, “How does this feel?”

  I moaned even more, being rewarded by Victor thrusting his fingers in and out of my pussy over and over again.

  “I
want to fuck you,” he growled as he took my other breast into his mouth with a little more force than the last time.

  “Yes. Please,” I begged.

  In one fluid motion, he pulled his fingers out of my wet pussy and placed his cock at the entrance, applying pressure but not breaking past. He paused and looked into my eyes. “Are you all right with this?”

  I nodded, suddenly scared that he would stop. That he would think I was far too traumatized to even consider having sex. When in all actuality, it was exactly what I needed to feel whole and human again.

  For the first time since our first kiss, Victor placed his lips gently to mine. A slight buzz rang in my ears, and all I could do was open my mouth slightly, allowing him access with his tongue. Victor wasted no time and delved his tongue in, deepening the kiss. He applied a little more pressure with his cock at my pussy as he continued to kiss.

  After what felt like an everlasting embrace, he pulled away and whispered, “If this ever becomes too much—if you aren’t ready for this—you be strong enough to say stop. Submission does not mean sacrifice. You come first. What is going on in your mind is just as important to me as what is going on with your body.”

  With that command, his lips once again crushing mine, Victor pressed his cock all the way into my body in one quick motion. I cried out against his kiss, allowing him to swallow up the initial biting pain as my pussy adjusted to his large size. He remained still once he was fully planted inside me.

  I was the one to begin moving my hips in hopes of more. Victor didn’t need any further coaxing. He began to thrust his cock in and out of me with a rhythm that almost hypnotized. He lowered his finger to my clit and applied pressure as he circled around my nub. My juices of arousal coated his dick, making each thrust of his cock wetter and slicker than the last.

  He nibbled on my neck and whispered, “Allow the sensations. Feel the pain, feel the pleasure, feel me as I claim what is, and always will be, mine. No one will ever fucking touch you again.”

  Over and over his cock pumped into me. The steady passion reminded me of a drum, beating its way to orgasm. I had imagined what this day would be like—the day I finally got to be intimate with a man I truly had feelings for—but hadn’t even come close to the pure ecstasy that coursed through my core. Pump after pump of his hard cock brought me closer and closer to a peak I knew I wanted to reach. And once I reached it… I jumped off into an explosion of pleasure that shook my body. A scream escaped my lips as it was met with a guttural moan from Victor as he too jumped off that peak.

  As his seed spilled inside my body, I lay limp beneath his weight. Chills of pleasure danced along my skin, followed by the soft kisses of Victor. Being with this man, I felt alive, free, and for a brief moment… everything in my life seemed quiet. Calm.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ivy

  Early the next morning, the sun shone brightly through the glass windows of the pool house on Harley’s property. I let out a slight groan and shielded my eyes from the intense rays. My head still pounded from the attack the evening before. I squirmed from underneath Victor’s protective embrace, something he must have done in his sleep.

  I reached over and brushed away the few strands of his dark hair that fell over his eyes, allowing my fingertips to trace the black twisted root tattoos that weaved around his collarbone and ran along the skin of his neck. As I caressed, I thought of all that happened yesterday, and knew that I was truly lucky Harley had walked in when he had. I barely knew the man, yet for some reason I knew I could trust him, and I was happy that my friend Marlowe had fallen in love with a man like him. They were living together now, and I had never seen Marlowe so happy before in my life.

  Tears welled up at the corners of my eyes while I watched Victor sleep as the sunrays entered the room and landed on his body. He moved his head, moaning as he awoke. As he opened his eyes and looked directly into mine, I gave a weak smile. The corner of his lips curved into a soft smile to match mine.

  “Hey,” he breathed. “Morning.”

  “Good morning.”

  He pushed himself into a more upright position and ran his fingers through his tousled hair while he let out a tired yawn and stretched out his muscles.

  “How long have you been awake?” he asked.

  “Not long. The sun and my headache are not a good combination,” I managed to say.

  He scanned my face and head, no doubt taking stock of all my cuts and bruises from the attack. Concerned, he pulled me close to him. “Come on,” he said as he helped me up and wrapped the blanket at the end of the bed around my shoulders. “We need to get some food in you. I’m going to run into the main house and get us something.”

  “Coffee too, please,” I added as I watched Victor pull on his clothing and slip on his shoes.

  Without saying another word, Victor was out the door and I was alone. Even though I knew it was for a short minute, I hated the feeling. I’d promised myself last night to try not to keep reliving the nightmare, but I couldn’t help it. The awful visions kept knocking on my memory, demanding to be let in. Poor Janie and the others. It almost seemed like a dream and that it hadn’t really happened, but I knew that if I were to walk into Harley and Marlowe’s house right now and saw all the dolls, Janie would not be one of them. Her sweet smile would not be greeting me.

  The doorknob rattled and then the door opened, snapping me from my morbid thoughts. Victor juggled a tray in one hand while he pulled the door closed with his other hand. “Pastries and coffee,” he said. “Marlowe has quite the set up in there for all the dolls, and she had this tray ready and was about to deliver it to us.”

  My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten much lately. No doubt adding to my weakened condition. I felt a little dizzy when I tried to walk over to Victor, so decided it best to sit back down where I was.

  Victor set the tray on the bed next to me. Along with plates, there were also two glasses of orange juice. My mouth suddenly dry, I picked up one of the glasses and sipped the delicious liquid.

  “I’m not a huge breakfast person,” he said with a grin. “But with this spread, it’s hard to not become one.”

  “I’m hungry. We didn’t eat dinner.” I reached now for the pastry, shoving it into my mouth in a not so lady-like way, the flavor dancing across my tongue.

  After about ten minutes of eating our breakfast in silence, I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Victor?”

  Victor picked up the tray and moved it to a nearby table. “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  Coming back to where I sat on the bed, he lifted his fingers to my right temple and pushed back a lock of my hair. Lightly, he ran his fingertip along a cut on my head. “We just need to get you back on your feet. That bastard could have killed you.”

  “I know,” I breathed, as the realization almost made me ill. “If Harley hadn’t walked in…”

  He leaned over and cupped my chin. “You shouldn’t have been put in that danger to begin with. I had no idea the level Drayton’s Dolls had grown to. The popularity and the morbid fascination of some ruthless men put you all at risk, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It should never have gotten to this level. Especially without me knowing.”

  “You’re a famous artist. I only was at the one gallery, but I can see why The Dolls became so famous so fast.”

  “Well the type of fame I got is clearly not what I wanted. I don’t want The Dolls to be exposed to sexual predators. Things have to change.” He took sips of his coffee as he looked out the large windows at the pool outside.

  My temple pounded now, but I was trying my best to hide it from him. He had worried enough. “What’s going to happen now? Are we going back to The Dollhouse?”

  He patted my leg. “We’ll discuss all the logistics later. You need to finish eating so you can get some rest. I still plan on making you do as little as possible until I know you are completely okay.”

  “What about the other dolls? Are they goi
ng to stay here? There isn’t enough room for everyone for long. I’m sure Harley and Marlowe will want their house back.”

  “Finish eating,” he pressed.

  “I want to help you. You shouldn’t have to deal with this all yourself.” My eyes were growing heavy. Exhaustion and a full belly were a deadly combination.

  “Don’t worry. I hired the best team for all of this. We are putting together a plan now,” Victor said, smiling.

  “I need to join the other dolls,” I slurred. “I don’t want them to think I’m getting special privileges or being treated differently.”

  “You are being treated differently, but that’s because you’re mine. My doll.” Victor lowered his mouth and gave me a soft kiss. Pulling away far too quickly for my taste, he said, “It’s time you get some sleep. We only slept a few hours last night, and you need a lot more after what you went through.” He placed his palm on my chest and pushed me back onto the bed.

  I closed my eyes and sighed. “I don’t want to be left alone.”

  Plucking the last of the pastry from my slack fingers, he placed it on the tray. “I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”

  I nodded, happy with his answer.

  He pulled the blanket up to my chin and tucked me in. “Sweet dreams, Ivy. No more nightmares. I won’t allow them to happen ever again.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Victor

  I sat and stared out the window as the sun set against the landscape of the bayou. Ivy had slept for most of the day, tossing and turning ever so often as no doubt nightmares haunted her sleep. Nightmares that I had caused. I wasn’t sure if I could ever forgive myself for what I put her through, and for what had happened to those three innocent women. But after the decisions I made today while Ivy slept, I hoped that I could, at the very least, make sure it never happened again.